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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "claims agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447031918858 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • ukfreelottoagent@yahoo.co.uk

Fraud email example:

From: "UNITED KINGDOM FREELOTTO" <assistinfo01@msn.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2005 11:21:04 +0000
Subject: Award Notification

Promotions Manager,
The Lotto People
www.freelotto.com
PO Box 42 United Kingdom

Award Notification.

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today 06/10/05 of your
selection as one of the five winners of the promotional Free Lotto
Sweepstakes held recently as part of our EXPERIMENTAL BONANZA. You have
therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of 1,400,000.00USD. (One
Million Four Hundred Thousand Dollars.) We in the Free Lottery
Sweepstakes is by this program, Launching our model computer balloting
lottery draws, developed and designed to satisfy the cravings of the
ever-growing number of participants in our various lottery programs. With
funds
accrued exclusively from previous draws, payouts to all winners are
guaranteed
and will be transferred in record time. After randomly selecting 15,000
participants from an initial database of 300,000 emails, all
participants were selected through a computer ballot system from the
Middle East, Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe, USA and South America as
part our international Promotions Program, which was conducted in view of
launching ourselves into the Sweepstakes Industry Worldwide and zoning
all participants by their respective continents from across the globe, we
produced an extensive list from which you have emerged as one of the
winners of the Grand Draw prize.

You are to contact our agents by email within a week of receiving this
notice. Please find full contact details below:

Mr.Williams Miller
External service manager,
Free lotto sweepstakes
United Kingdom
EMAIL: ukfreelottoagent@yahoo.co.uk

Tel:+447031918858
Website www.freelotto.com

In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember
to quote your reference and batch numbers in every one of your
correspondences with your claims agent

REF NO: MELI-T/ 17-F044262312 Batch
No:901/00319/HLP
Zonal Draw No: GMLA2-003 Grand Draw

No: 12099
Congratulations once again.

--------------------------------------------------------------- We also
encourage you to
visit our website at www.freelotto.com and take your chance to play and
become part of our daily winners. Millions are won on a daily
basis on one of the world's most famous free lotto services

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam